TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (TV REVIEW) by L. L. Soares When the new version of THE BIONIC WOMAN started on NBC, it came to the table with a lot of potential. It was a concept already familiar with viewers from its past incarnation, and the show's guiding force had just come off of another successful reimagining of an older show (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA). As with BATTLESTAR, the expectation was that the new version would be smarter and darker. But the new BIONIC WOMAN started strong and the fizzled out. Why? Well, it's not that smart, and the darker tone doesn't make up for the ultimate show-killer - boredom. Despite big ratings when it first began, a second season for BIONIC ... (more…)

If your inner science fiction geek plans to watch the second episode of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES on FOX tonight, you might want to record VAL LEWTON - THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS over on Turner Classic Movies at 8 PM.

This original TCM documentary, narrated by Martin Scorsese, precedes a marathon of Lewton classics, including THE CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, THE BODY SNATCHER, BEDLAM, and ISLE OF THE DEAD, followed by two rare non-horror Lewton films, MADEMOISELLE FIFI and YOUTH RUNS WILD.

It's great to see American televison honoring horror film history.

Check it out! (more…)

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you haven't already seen the first season of Showtime's DEXTER series (not to be confused with the ABC Saturday morning kiddie cartoon with the same title), L.L. Soares's article on Season Two features MAJOR, LIFE THREATENING SPOILERS! You have been warned.

DEXTER FOR PRESIDENT! Okay, maybe that's going a little overboard. After all, a candidate who is also a serial killer might not be very electable. But it's hard to watch the Showtime series DEXTER without getting passionate about the characters, especially Dexter Morgan, who works for the Miami Police Department's crime lab as a blood-spatter expert by day, and who kills other serial killers by night. Especially ... (more…)

"My name is Victoria Winters. A stranger has come to Collinwood..."

--Alexandra Isles (1968)
--Joanna Going (1990)

"This nut thinks he's a vampire!"

--Darren McGavin (1972)

With recent news than none other than Johnny Depp intends to produce in a big screen remake of DARK SHADOWS, and plans to star as Barnabas Collins (he once called Barnabas his "dream role"), and with MTI Home Video now releasing on DVD the original episodes of the gothic soap opera which ran prior to Jonathan Frid's first appearance as the reluctant vampire, this is a good time to look back on TV's first gothic soap opera, and its creator.

Other than whoever authorized production of Aurora's ... (more…)

A Look at the Genre Shows of the New Fall Season

As most writers and creative people know already, television is the enemy. Along with message boards, chat rooms, and video games, television is another big distraction from doing any actual work. So it's ironic that I had to submerge myself in a bunch of new shows for three weeks, to write this review of the fall season's genre offerings. Since there are only a few horror-related shows this time around, I've expanded this column to include science fiction-themed programs as well.

THE NEW SHOWS

REAPER - This must be the Year of the Slacker. Along with CHUCK, this show features a nerd who becomes kind of a hero, except this time ... (more…)